Hear from Our Customers
Your energy bill drops. That’s usually the first thing people notice—especially during July and August when The Hills sees those brutal 107-degree days that are becoming more common every year.
Your outdoor spaces become usable again. Patios that used to sit empty all afternoon suddenly turn into places where you can actually sit, eat, and entertain without sweating through your shirt. The sun’s still out, but the heat isn’t beating down on you anymore.
Inside, your furniture stops fading. Those expensive couches near the windows, the artwork in your living room, the hardwood floors—they all last longer because exterior roller shades block UV rays before they even hit the glass. You’re not replacing things as often, and your home holds its value better because everything inside stays in better shape.
And if you go with motorized outdoor shade blinds, there’s no cranking, no pulling, no hassle. You control everything from your phone or a wall switch. One tap and your whole setup adjusts to the sun.
A Plus Shutters & Shades is part of A Plus Home Remodel, and we’ve been working on homes across the Austin area for more than 10 years. We’re not a national franchise. We’re a Texas company that understands what Texas weather does to homes.
The Hills is a unique market. Homes here are high-end, and homeowners expect quality that lasts. You’re not looking for the cheapest option—you’re looking for something that works, looks right, and doesn’t need to be replaced in three years.
We measure everything ourselves. We install everything ourselves. And we only use materials built to handle the heat, wind, and sun exposure that come with living in Central Texas.
First, we come out to your home in The Hills and take measurements. Every window, patio, or deck area is different, so we don’t estimate—we measure on-site to make sure everything fits exactly right.
Then we talk through your options. Fabric type, color, opacity, motorization. Some people want blackout roller shades for full sun control. Others prefer something lighter that still lets a breeze through. We walk you through what makes sense for your space and how you actually use it.
Once you decide, we order your custom exterior roller shades. Everything is made to your exact specs, so there’s a short lead time—usually a couple of weeks depending on the season.
When your shades arrive, we schedule installation. Our team handles the whole thing: mounting brackets, fitting the shades, testing motorized controls if you went that route, and making sure everything operates smoothly. We don’t leave until it’s done right.
After install, we show you how everything works and answer any questions. If something ever needs adjusting, you call us directly. No phone trees, no runaround.
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You’re getting custom-built exterior roller shades designed specifically for your home’s measurements and your needs. Not stock sizes that “kind of” fit. Not generic products shipped from a warehouse. These are made for your windows and outdoor spaces.
The materials are built for Texas. UV-resistant fabrics that won’t break down after one summer. Weather-resistant hardware that handles wind and rain. Motorized systems that actually work when you need them, not ones that jam or fail after six months.
In The Hills, outdoor living is a big part of why people choose to live here. You’re near Lake Travis, you’ve got beautiful views, and your property is an investment. Exterior window blinds protect that investment by reducing heat load on your HVAC system, preventing sun damage to interiors, and extending the usable square footage of your home into your outdoor areas.
We also make sure installation doesn’t damage your home. No shortcuts, no sloppy mounting that cracks stucco or strips screws. Our background is in construction and remodeling, so we know how to work with different exterior materials the right way.
And if you want motorization, we integrate it cleanly. Wiring is hidden, controls are intuitive, and everything syncs up with your existing smart home setup if you have one.
It depends on how many windows or openings you’re covering, the size of each area, and whether you want manual or motorized operation. For a single large patio door or window, you’re typically looking at $800 to $1,500 installed. For a full outdoor patio setup with multiple shades, costs can range from $3,000 to $8,000 or more.
Motorization adds to the cost, but it’s worth it for most people—especially if you’re covering multiple areas or high windows that are hard to reach. The investment pays off in energy savings, furniture protection, and the fact that you’ll actually use your outdoor spaces more often because they’re comfortable.
We give you an exact quote after measuring your space. No ballpark guessing, no surprise charges later.
Yes, and the impact is noticeable. Exterior roller shades block heat before it reaches your windows, which is far more effective than interior blinds or curtains. When the sun isn’t heating up your glass, your AC doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your home cool.
In The Hills, where summer temps regularly hit 100+ degrees and homes are seeing more extreme heat every year, that difference adds up fast. Most homeowners see a 15-25% reduction in cooling costs during peak summer months, depending on how much sun exposure their windows get.
The shades also help in winter by adding an extra layer of insulation, though the bigger benefit here is definitely summer cooling. If your home has a lot of west-facing windows or a large patio with sun exposure all afternoon, the energy savings alone can pay for the shades within a few years.
You can absolutely get blackout roller shades designed for outdoor use. The fabrics are different from indoor blackout shades—they’re built to handle UV exposure, moisture, and temperature swings—but they block just as much light.
Outdoor blackout shades are popular for covered patios, pergolas, and outdoor entertainment areas where you want full sun control. They’re also great for windows that get intense afternoon sun and where you want to block heat and glare completely.
The tradeoff is that blackout fabrics don’t allow airflow, so if you’re covering a space where you want a breeze, a lighter shade with some openness might make more sense. We walk through those options when we’re at your home so you can see samples and understand what works best for your specific setup.
Quality exterior roller shades should last 10 to 15 years, sometimes longer if they’re maintained properly. The key is using materials that are actually rated for outdoor use—UV-resistant fabrics, corrosion-resistant hardware, and sealed motorized components if you go that route.
Texas weather is tough. You’ve got intense sun, high heat, occasional storms, and humidity near Lake Travis. Cheap shades or indoor-rated products won’t hold up. The fabric will fade, the hardware will corrode, and the mechanisms will fail within a few years.
We only install outdoor-rated products because we know what holds up here. And if something does need attention down the road—a fabric replacement after a decade, a motor adjustment—we’re local and we handle it. You’re not dealing with a national company that’s hard to reach or doesn’t service this area anymore.
Not if they’re installed correctly with quality components. Motorized systems are more reliable than they used to be, and the technology has improved a lot in the last few years. Most issues come from poor installation or using cheap motors that aren’t rated for outdoor conditions.
We use motorized systems designed for exterior use, which means they’re sealed against moisture and built to handle temperature extremes. Once they’re installed and programmed, they typically run for years without issues.
The main thing is keeping the tracks clean and making sure nothing is blocking the shade’s path when it rolls up or down. If you’re in a dusty area or near construction, a quick wipe-down every few months helps. But there’s no regular servicing or complicated maintenance. And if something ever does go wrong, we’re the ones who installed it, so we know exactly how to fix it.
Most of the time, yes. We can mount exterior roller shades on wood, stucco, brick, metal, and composite materials. The mounting method changes depending on what we’re attaching to, but we’ve worked with just about every exterior surface you’ll find on homes in The Hills.
For patios, pergolas, and covered outdoor areas, we typically mount the shades to the overhead structure or the posts. For windows, we mount them to the exterior wall above the window frame. If there’s an overhang or soffit, we can sometimes recess the mounting for a cleaner look.
The only situations where installation gets tricky are spaces with no solid mounting surface or areas where the architecture makes it hard to position the shade properly. But that’s rare, and we’ll tell you upfront during the consultation if your space has any limitations. Most homes have no issues at all.
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